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onsdag 25. desember 2013

"The White Tiger", an Indian entrepreneur


A few weeks back, I started reading “The White Tiger”. It is a novel written by Aravind Adiga, an Indian author and journalist. In 2008, “The White Tiger” won the “Man Booker Prize”, which is literary prize awarded for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Republic of Ireland, or Zimbabwe.

I have now read the first three chapters of the novel, and I have to say I enjoyed much more than I thought I would. The books that the teachers choose for us  is in my experience not that fun to read, but this time I actually enjoyed the book. I have read 117 pages, which is approximately 1/3 of the book, and I have finally started to understand the story and who the different characters are. At first it was a bit confusing with all the different names and places, but it is more understandable further into the novel. The main character is Balram Halawi, the white tiger. He was called a white tiger by a school inspector because he was a rare kind in his village Laxmangarh. Laxmangarh is a village in a part of India known as “the Darkness”, where the people are poor, and your destiny is determined by your caste.

Balram Halawi narrates his life in a letter to the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who is visiting India shortly. He wants to tell the Prime Minister the true story about India, and to tell the story of how he went from just being the son of a rickshaw-puller to, according to himself, a successful entrepreneur. Through several letters, Balram tells how he got successful through his own efforts. He even revels that he had to kill his beloved master Mr. Ashok on his way to become an entrepreneur.  

In my opinion, the story was a bit slow in the beginning, but it is getting more and more exiting. He has not told why he killed Mr. Ashok, and the reveal of this is what I look forward to the most.
 
Picture: Link here
 

tirsdag 10. desember 2013

English varieties, Singapore, South Africa and India

 

Singapore (by Erlend J.C.)

English is one of fore official languages in Singapore, and Singapore English is divided into two different sub-forms, Standard Singapore English (SSE) and Singapore Colloquial English. Singapore was a British Colony from 1819-1965, and like in many of the other nations that were British colonies in the past, English has maintained a firm ground. English was the administrative language of the British colonial government, and the Singaporean government chose to keep English as their main language, when they gained self-government in 1959 and independence in 1965. This decision to keep English was made in order to maximize the economical prosperity of Singapore, as well as being a lingua franca for the various different ethnicities and cultures of Singapore.

Standard Singapore English resembles British English in its’ grammar and way of writing, but the pronunciation. Unlike SSE, Singapore Colloquial English (Singlish) includes linguistic features from Malay, Mandarin and Hokkien. Singlish is not commonly used in formal speech or writing, due to it´s reputation of being a low-prestige form of English. Wikipedia states, on based on various sources, that 71% of Singapore´s population in 2010 spoke English as their native or second language. These are quite a few Singaporeans!



This video displays some Singlish charateristics.

 

South Africa (by Jørgen F.)

In South-Africa there was apartheid for 46 years, from 1948 to 1994. The white European descendants controlled South Africa, and used apartheid to suppress the natives/ black people. Because of this, the South-African English today is very affected by the British English. English is only one of the eleven official languages in South-Africa. That also means that The South-African English not only is affected by the British, but also by the ten other languages in the country.

What characterizes the South-African English depends on the form. In South-Africa there are three different forms of English, often referred to as “The Great Trichotomy”, or just three groupings. The three different forms have are much affected by the social varieties. The most formal and "finest" of the three forms is the Cultivated. This type of English is often associated with the upper class. The second type is called General, and is a social indicator of the middle class. The third type of English is called Broad, this form of speaking is mostly associated with the working class. It is also in many ways similar to the other official language Afrikaans. In other words, the more formal the setting, the more British English they talk in South-Africa, and the more informal the occasions are, the more influenced by the other official languages in the English is.



A scene taken from the film Invictus, South African accent.


India (by Sindre G.)

The British first arrived in India in the early 1600s and they established trading posts in a number of cities under the control of The East India Company. Over the next hundred years, the British influence grew to a much greater extent, and English became the administrative language. The British did not force their language on the Indian population, but it was slowly accepted as the language of the government, the national press and the social elite. India became a British colony in 1858, and it stayed so until 1947. The intentions of the Indian government after they gained their independence, was that English gradually would be phased out as the administrative language. The government had problems finding a language to replace English, due to the fact that there are many different languages, so choosing one as the national language became almost impossible. Even Gandhi, who was a proponent of a native variety as a national language, expressed that his message was most widely understood when he used English. Therefore, English stayed as a strong language in India, wieldy used in the media, the government and higher education. Recent studies shows that nearly 4% of the Indian population speak English as their main language. This equals to approximately 35 million speakers. India is the largest English speaking country in the world, apart from America and the UK.

English is mostly taught as a second language. Many Indians are therefore strongly influenced by the linguistic habits of their first language. Because there are large diversities in the Indian language and culture, there are also different accents depending on where in India, and the social background of the speaker. Some Indians speak English with an accent very close to a Standard British accent, while others lean towards a more vernacular accent. The diversity is so large that some words can even have different meanings in different parts of India. The grammar, such as the accents, is influenced by the native language of the speaker. Indians tend to often use idioms literal translated from their own native language, although this is less common amongst the proficient speakers, who also tend to use grammar closer to standard British. Down below is a video showing many of the different accents.
















A sampling of different Indian English Accents.


Comparison

All of the countries above were British colonies, and bear linguistic traits from the colonial times. Local languages and others have influenced the further development of the English, differentiating the varieties today. They serve to some degree as a lingua franca in the Singapore, South Africa and India, but aren´t necessarily the mother tong of the majority of the population. By looking at some characteristics for these English varieties they can be recognized.




This post was written as collaboration post with two of my fellow students. Links to their blogs:

Jørgen
Erlend

mandag 9. desember 2013

Lynching in America 1882-1968











 
Watching the movie “The Great Debaters” really opened my eyes for the horrifying history of lynching. The term lynching apparently originates from a man named Charles Lynch, who headed an irregular court in Virginia that used unorthodox methods to punish loyalist supporters of the British during the American Revolutionary War.  Lynching is defined as murder by mob.

During the time period 1882, the first year with reliable sources, to 1968, the year when the classic form of lynching had disappeared, a total of 4,743 lynches took place in the United States. Even though this is a terrible high number, but it is know that not all of the lynches were recorded. The majority of the people who were lynched were black, but there were also many white victims. 3,446 of the killed were black men and women, and 1297 were white. Many of the white victims were lynched for helping the black or being against lynching.

Most of the lynching took place in the south, and the state with the highest lynching was Mississippi, with 539 black victims and 42 white. Mississippi was followed by Georgia with 492 black victims and 39 white, Texas with 352 and 141, Louisiana with 335 and 56, and Alabama with 299 and 48. Even though lynching took place in most states in the US, there are also some states without any records of lynching from 1882 to 1968. These few states are Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Alaska, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. There are also some states did not lynch any black to record, Arizona, South Dakota, Idaho, Maine, Wisconsin, Vermont, and Nevada.
From 1882 to 1901, the annual number of lynches nationally usually exceeded 100. The record holder is 1892, with 230 recorded deaths, 161 black and 69 white. The amount of lynches declined somewhat in the twentieth century, there were still 97 in 1908, 89 black and 8 white, 83 in the 1919 76 black and 7 white, 30 in 1926 23 and 7, and 28 in 1933 24and 4. The numbers continued to decline until the classic form of lynching had disappeared in 1968.

This is a gruesome and horrifying part of the American history, and it is terrifying to think that this was something that happened just 50 years ago.

 


 

tirsdag 26. november 2013

The Edublog Awards Nomination 2013


I nominate Jørgen Frydenberg and his blog theamazingbookblogg.blogspot.no as the student blog of the year. He has a sharp mind, and with his technological intellect, he does good and thorough research before posting an interesting and informative blog post.

I nominate Ann Sørum Michaelsen and her blog annmic.wordpress.com as the teacher blog of the year. With over 177.000 hits on her blog, her words reach out to many people all over the world. This blog is an amazing tool for all teachers, and a lot of teachers can learn a lot. There are many good and fascinating tasks to be found on this blog, and doing them will give a good understanding about the world as it is today.

 

tirsdag 19. november 2013

Social media experiment


 

When I was searching around for information about social media I found this amazing and eye-opening video!

Is the use of social media making us more social?


Today we went to Youngstorget in Oslo, to a café called “Kulturhuset”, or “the Culturehouse” in English. We went there because we were invited to be the audience for a radio show here in Norway called “Ekko”.
 If you want to listen to the interview, click here for the link. Start listening from 1:24:30. Unfortunately it is only in Norwegian, so it can be a bit hard for all the non-Norwegian readers to understand.
J

The host of the program was Kristi Kraft, and she interviews three experts on this field. I do not want to write as summary, but I will write what they concluded with. They all agreed that social media makes us more social, but in a different way. You get to know more people and you increase your social network. This can be really helpful in some occasions, such as getting job interviews. They also agreed that it is easy to make more acquaintances through social media, but that it is hard to make good and close friends.                
I agreed the expert panel to a certain point with, and I also believe that social media make us social, but in a different way. On the other hand, I think that it all depends on the type of social media and how it is being used.  A study in Texas also agrees, but a post on dailymail.co.uk disagrees. It presents a study that social media makes us more lonely and unhappy, and less sociable. It says that that Facebook use can undermine well-being and increase loneliness, and that the more time people spent on Facebook, the less happy they felt over time.
It is safe to say that the way people socialize has changed, but in some ways it always stays the same. People have always had the need to present themselves in the best ways possible. It has always been normal to share the picture that makes you look happy and successful.
Personal I do not use social media as much as many of the others in my generation, but I use it enough to be accessible every day. It might be a good thing or it might be bad, it is hard to say. There a lot of research about social media, and I put all my trust onto them to find the answer.
 
Sources:
 
     

    søndag 10. november 2013

    The Joy Luck Club vs Gran Torino


    Today we read an extract of the novel “The Joy Luck Club” written by Amy Tan, a first generation American author with Chinese origin.
     
    The extract we read is also known as “When Rich Came To Sunday Dinner”. Waverly Jong, who is the main character, brings her boyfriend Rich over to her parents for Sunday dinner. Waverly Jong come from a Chinese family with strict traditions, and with a mother that is very proud of her cocking. Rich is a small American man who works with Waverly, and they plan to get married. Waverly have not told her parents about this, because she does not believe they would accept it. Her parents, Lindo and Tin Yong, are very strict, but Waverly hopes that after a dinner with Rich, they will see why she loves him. Her parents are not impressed when they for the first time lay eyes on Rich, and the night does not get any better. Rich does not understand the culture, and without knowing it, he disrespects the family several times. The way he eats, and the way he talks to the parents is not acceptable in the Chines culture. After the dinner, Rich is really satisfied with the way it went, unaware of his actions. Waverly on the other hand, knows that her parents got a really bad impression of her boyfriend, and she figured that it was not the time to tell them that she and Rich are engaged.
     
    Last week I wrote about the movie “Gran Torino”, which also focuses on the meeting of different cultures.  There are similarities between the stories, but there is one major difference.  Gran Torino” is mostly shown from the American point of view, through the grumpy old veteran Walt Kowalski. The extract “When Rich Came to Sunday Dinner”, focuses on the viewpoint of the immigrant family, Yong. While Walt has problems accepting that the Hmong people move to his country and keeps their culture, the Yong family has problems accepting the American boy Rich. The Yong family knows that Rich is not familiar with their traditions and norms, but they do not make it easy for him. It is possible to draw the conclusion, that Waverly’s mother wants her to marry a Chinese man, and is unsatisfied that she is dating an American. Walt wants the immigrants to adapt to the American culture, while the Yong wants to keep their own culture. This is the problem in the stories, and also in the World. A big problem in the World is that most people want others to adapt to their ways, and have a hard time adapting to others. This leads to conflicts, such as the ones shown in “Grand Torino” and “When Rich Came to Sunday Dinner”.
     
     
     
     

    torsdag 31. oktober 2013

    Gran Torino

    Today at school, we watched the movie “Gran Torino”. It was released 2008, and Clint Eastwood, who plays the main character Walt Kowalski, is also the director. Walt Kowalski is a grumpy and old Korean war veteran, who recently was widowed after 50 years of marriage. He is full of prejudices, even though he lives in a neighborhood with many different cultures, among them his Hmong neighbor. Against his will, he becomes closer and closer with his Hmong neighbors, especially with the teenagers. He helps them many times, and in the end of the movie he sacrifices himself so the teenagers can live a safe and successful life
    I was really fascinated by the main character Walt Kowalski’s way of being, and also his relationships with the other peoples in the movie. I have chosen to focus on this part of the film in this blog post.
    The first important relationship we were introduced to is the relationship between Walt and the rest of his family. Walt’s two sons seemed to be irritated over their father, and they did not know exactly what to do with him, or how to reach to him. Later in the movie, Walt also admits to the priest during a confession that he does not know his own sons, and that he regrets it. The wives and kids of Walt’s sons only seemed to be after his money and belongings, but they are not interested in talking to him. They do not seem to know much about Walt, but he does not seem to know much about them either.  It is easy to see, that there is not a good relationship between Walt and his family. This is unlike any families I know, but I am sure that it is not uncommon that some have bad relationships with their family.
    Another relationship that is important throughout the movie is the relationship Walt has with the priest. The priest promised Walt’s wife, before she died, that he would look after Walt, and make him come to a confession. At first Walt does not care for the priest, and demands that he calls him Mr Kowalski, and not Walt. During the movie, they become closer, because they learn to know and respect each other. They have a special relationship, due to the fact that it builds on a promise the priest made to Walt’s wife. They become closer, but they never become very close.
    The only person in the movie it seemed like Walt was friend with already was his barber. They also had a special and interesting relationship. They called each other such things as “crazy Italian prick” and “cheap bastard”, and it is easy to see they both have a lot of prejudices. Although it is hard for an out stander, like Thao, to understand the way their friendship works, and it can seem like they dislike each other. It might be a bit inappropriate to talk to each other that way with other people around, but if it is only those to around it is more appropriate. Other people might misunderstand it, but when all the individuals are okay with the language, and think that it is funny to talk to each other in such manor then it is appropriate.
    Probably the most important relationship in the movie is the relationship Walt has with the neighbor teens. He first befriends the girl sue, and later he becomes really close to the boy Thao. Thao does not have father in his house, and Walt becomes a father figure, and he helps him get a job and improve his life. Walt wants Thao to become a man, and he helps him get the courage to ask out a girl. When they are going on the date, Thao does not have a car to get the girl, so Walt lets him borrow his beloved Gran Torino. This is the part in the movie where we see how deep the relationship between Walt and Thao is. The car was Walt’s most priced belonging, and still he lets Thao borrow it. This reminds me about when I was younger, and my grandfather let my brother and I play with, and look at his stamp collection. He had a big collection and he had collected for a very long time. Looking back at it now, I realize that to let other play with something that means a lot to you is a huge sign of trust.
    There are examples in real life where people have sacrificed themselves for others like Walt did for Thao and Sue in the movie. In history class, we read about a woman who lived around year 900. Her name was Melkorka, and she was the daughter of the king of Ireland, but was kidnaped and bought by Iceland Viking chief at a slave marked.  She married a man she did not like, just so he could pay for her son to go back to Ireland and prove he is a royal. Her son goes back to Ireland and finds his grandfather and he receives high status and becomes a mighty chief. His mother on the other hand, stayed on Iceland for the rest of her life, with a man she did not like. This story comes from “The saga of Laksdøla”, or the original name “Laksdøl saga”. Melkorka sacrificed her life, just so her son did not have to be known as the son of a slave. She did this out of love for her son, just as Walt did for Thao and Sue in the movie. 
     
    Here are the 5 questions I chose to answer in my blog post.
    ·         How would you describe Walt’s relationship with his family? Do you know of anyone that has a similar family relationship?
    ·         How would you describe the relationship between Walt and the priest? How does this relationship change during the movie?
    ·         Walt and his friend the barber have an interesting relationship. Do you think the way they talk to each other is appropriate or inappropriate? Why or why not? Do you think it is okay to speak the way they do if both individuals are okay with the language? Why or why not?
    ·         Towards the end of the movie, Walt offers for Thao to use the car for his date. Discuss the significance of this. Are their similar reallife situations in people’s lives? Have you ever been offered to use something that had great significance to somebody?
    ·         Can you think of real life examples of people who have sacrificed themselves for others? What drives these people to make this sort of sacrifice?


    source: http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/gran_torino_a_conservative_movie/ 

    tirsdag 22. oktober 2013

    Visit from our foreign minister Espen Barth Eide

    This post is about the visit from former foreign minister Espen Barth Eide, a while back, but due to misunderstandings in the group, it is really late. I am really sorry, and I hope you, the reader, still find this post interesting.  

    On Tuesday 03.09.13, Espen Barth Eide, the Norwegian minister of foreign affairs, visited our school. Espen Barth Eide held a presentation about Norway's foreign politics, and our role in the world, focusing on the conflict in Syria.

    The Syria conflict
    Espen Barth Eide started talking about the conflict in Syria, and the fact that Syria has used chemical weapons. He had sent a letter to the UN security-council, in cooperation with the other northern foreign-ministers, where they demanded that the UN respond to the use of chemical weapons. He then continued to talk about how the situation can develop. Espen Barth Eide then expressed the fear that if the other political parties becomes the new government, the Norwegian foreign participant will decrease.

    Norway’s role in the world
    At Barth Eide’s presentation he was told us he was concerned for Norway’s role in the world now that there is a chance for the conservative to win the election. That’s because he thinks that our role in the world will be much smaller if they win. Up to today Norway has “played” an important role in the world. In several occasions Norway has played the part as broker, for example in the negotiations between Israel and Palestine, the conflict on Sri Lanka and the conflict with FARC in Colombia among others. He also expressed his concerns for the possible new conservative government promise to cut much of development aid, the new government would probably also be much more EU oriented, and less UN oriented. So we can say as a fact that Norway’s role in the world will change, but if it will chance to the better or worse I don’t know, and you would have to decide for yourself.


    Picture of Espen Barth Eide: http://norwegianafrican.no/news/espen-barth-eide-to-replace-trond-giske-at-the-naba-summit-2012 

    tirsdag 15. oktober 2013

    Invictus


    Today at school, we watched a movie called «Invictus», directed by Clint Eastwood. The story takes place in South-Africa. The movie starts in 1990 when Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) was released from Robbin-Island, and it ends when the South-African rugby team, wins the 1995 World Cup.

    The movie is named after a British poem with the same name, and here is the poem.

    Invictus  by William Earnest Henley
    Out of the night that covers me,
    Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
    I thank whatever gods may be,
    For my unconquerable soul.

    In the fell clutch of circumstance
    I have not winced nor cried aloud.
    Under the bludgeonings of chance
    My head is bloody, but unbowed.

    Beyond the place of wrath and tears
    Looms but the horror of the shade,
    And yet the menace of the years
    Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

    It matters not how straight the gate,
    How charged with punishments the scroll.
    I am the master of my fate:
    I am the captain of my soul

     

    Both Mandela and Francois were inspired by the poem in the way that even though how difficult the challenges might be, they will prevail. The comforting words inspire them to keep going and not to give up, even though the odds may not be in their favor. I interpret the meaning of the poem, that you are the boss of your own life. I believe that this poem made Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) think about his time in prison, and the fact that he had to fight to become what he is. Francois probably was inspired by everything Mandela had accomplished, and when he faced the challenges in the World Cup, I think the poem helped him not to give up, and fight even harder. The poem might not have been a major part of the storyline in the movie, but I believe it is important for the understanding of why both Mandela and Francois never gave up.

     

    tirsdag 8. oktober 2013

    What did I learn in school today!


    Today, we had the amazing opportunity of skyping with Jeremy Gilley. Jeremy Gilley is an English actor and filmmaker, but the reason we spoke with him, is because he is the founder of the charity “Peace one day”.  “Peace one day” is a non-profitable organization, who made 21.september the official world peace day.
    You can watch our Skype call by clicking here.

    The Skype call was very inspiring, and I could tell that he was engaged in his charity. The way he talked about how it all started, what they had done and the journey to where they are today, really showed how much he cared about his work. He seemed so proud of what they have accomplished, but also so eager to spread the word about “Peace one day” to even more people. I think that all his dedication and his “go-ahead spirit” is the reason he has managed to so much, and that can only be admired.
    We got to ask him some questions. The first question was about what “Peace one day” actually was, but it seemed to me that Jeremy did not like that question that much. I think he felt that we should know that, after watching the video and listening to him in the beginning, but he explained it again anyway.

    The next question was how he got the idea to found “Peace one day”. He said that he had often thought about people treated with injustice, and that had been the driving force of founding the charity.

    I then got to ask him what he’s most memorable memory was. He stopped for some seconds, thinking and smiling, as if he remembered many good memories. He then told about the time when he saw Dalai Lama, and how he had been inspired by how much influence one man could have. He also told about some strong meetings with some children.

     
    The assignments today, opened my eyes for “Peace one day”, a charity I did not know about from before. I was impressed by Jeremy’s eager and passion, and I was really inspired.  




    A picture of us, skyping with Jeremy Gilley.
    Thanks to Julia for posting the skype call:)


    tirsdag 24. september 2013

    Working abroad and studying abroad.


    Studying abroad is maybe on of the coolest things one could do in his or her childhood - at least it sounds that way! We got the chance to talk to Annicken, who'd been studying in France and working in America, we got the chance to ask her questions about her journey.

    Here's an excerpt of the interview:

    Where have you studied?

    "I've studied in Trondheim: European Studies – Bachelor with one year about the History of the EU, political science and one year about languages. Studied there for two years, and then went to France for one year, in Lyon.

    She wanted to go to England, but it since it was quite expensive.

    Why did you choose to study abroad?

    Because NTNU an erasmus program, an EU program that makes it free for students to go abroad for a student exchange.

    She had French for three years, at her High School - so she knew a little bit.

    If you go to France, Spain, Germany you get a four-week language course for free!

    What did you earn, in terms of experience, by studying there?

    “I learned to speak French almost fluently, learned about myself” She also learned about how you handle new the new & different situations. You also learn a lot about the country you're visiting. Lastly you learn about the culture, French people eat dinner a lot later than in Norway! Learn that things can be done in another way than your home country.

    Did you have a job while studying? Where?

    No...

    You told me earlier you'd been working in America, where did you work?

    After she finished her bachelor she decided to go for a master. When she only had one semester left, she applied for a student internship at several consulates. She got a Skype interview at the consulate in San Fran and one in London.

    She was living with three American girls, all working, or as she said it: “ all young professionals”.

    Why did you choose to return?

    “My Visa Expired”. She had to go back to finish her master.

    Do you want to go back?

    “Yes!”

    Would you recommend working and/or studying abroad?

    “YES, especially if you have the opportunity to do so.”

    This is just one person's view, but I think a lot of people share her views.

    Personally we would love to work abroad, studying as well! We want to do both overseas in The United States Of America! We would recommend going abroad! It sounds like an amazing experience, and you'll learn a lot. Now you'll have to excuse us, we're going to dive into the world of Universities!

    But before we go: here's some links to get you started:

    http://www.studyabroad.com/ - "Take the leap. Study Abroad! Your source for all things study abroad. "

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Study_abroad_in_the_United_States - Wikipedia article on studying abroad in the US


    This is a collaboration post between Haakon (check out his blog here) & myself.

    tirsdag 17. september 2013

    Questions to "The Raft"


    I have just read the short story “The Raft”, and in this this blog post, I answer some questions from the teacher about the text.
    What point of view is used to tell the story? What consequences does this have for the way we see events?
    The story is told from the grandson’s point of view. Then we are able to read the story as listeners, and we cannot read the thoughts of the teller, because we only see his face.

    Can you find examples of irony?
    It might be an irony that the grandfather have lost his short-term memory, and only can remember the awful times from the war.  

    Where is the climax of the story, in your view?
    When the boat they were unsure on approached.

    What would you say are the main themes of the story?
    War and regrets 
     


    Review of www.thinkb4u.com


    After using and trying out the website www.thinkb4u.com, I have to say that I am not very impressed. The idea of www.think.b4u.com, is to teach how to use the internet properly, and how to be safe while using the web.

     I think the idea is very smart, and that it can be an extremely helpful webpage appropriate for every age group, but I did not find it user-friendly. The short-videos are both entertaining and informative, but I had the problem that once I had seen one short-video, I could not close the window. Then I had to refresh the page, but to watch video number 2, you had to watch number 1 first. So by refreshing the page, I had to watch number 1 again, but I had the same problem again. So I have watched the first video in the three categories, but I was not able to watch anything else.

    The website also makes an annoying noise from time to time, even when I am not one the page. This can be mildly annoying.

    So to conclude: The idea is super, but the webpage itself is not so good.

    mandag 2. september 2013

    Redemption day


    In the movie, Erin Brockovich-Ellis, gets a job as a file clerk for Ed, her former lawyer in another case, lawyer firm. Erin files some papers that she finds suspicious, and she starts to investigate. She then travels to the town where clients live, and she finds out even more. The case is that the groundwater has been polluted   by Pacific Gas & Electric, and the pollution has caused many people to get sick. She gathers the entire town to join a big lawsuit against PG&E. After much hard work and talking to all of the people in the town, they win the lawsuit and the residents in the town wins 333 million dollar.

    Water pollution as a global problem.


    As shown in the movie Erin Brockovich, water pollution can be a serious and lethal problem. Although no one died in the movie, there is a possibility of dying from the diseases the unclean can cause. There are also other, more dangerous type of pollutions than the one in the movie, and also less dangerous types. Despite how dangerous the pollution is, they can all affect humans and animals. People’s access to clean water is becoming more difficult through the entire world, but mainly in the poor countries. According reports from U.N., half of the world’s population is experiencing polluted drinking water. There are over 1 billion people in the world who don’t have access to clean drinking water, and approximately 5,000 people die every day from drinking dirty water. As I said before, this also affects the animals. Every year, over 1 million seabirds and 100, 000 sea mammals die due to pollution.

    I hope this post has shown you, the reader, that water pollution is a global problem. There is no simple solution to this problem, and I don’t have the answer, but there are many organizations who work with this problem.

                     http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-pollution#

    tirsdag 20. august 2013

    The Butterfly Circus


    We just watched the short movie “The butterfly circus”, and the part that affected me the most, was the compere sent between the main character Will, who was without arms and legs, and the caterpillars transformation to become a butterfly.  The caterpillar was owned by a small boy who lived with the circus, and it was the first we were introduced to in the movie. At that moment, the caterpillar is just a caterpillar, and that is also the first time we meet Nick. Nick is working at a freak show as the main attraction, and he is mocked several times a day. When Nick decides to travel with the Butterfly circus, which is much nicer to him, we also see that the caterpillar has become a cocoon, one step closer to a beautiful butterfly. Nick is coming more and more out of his shell, and achieving things he never thought he could do, such as swimming. He becomes a performer at the Butterfly circus, but not as a freak, but a stunt diver. He becomes a huge hit, and also an inspiration for other with struggles. During this period of time, the caterpillar has made the entire transformation from an ordinary caterpillar, to a beautiful butterfly. The short movie ends as we see the butterfly fly away. 

    My expectation


    My expectation of the second year at Sandvika secondary school is that it is going to be a school year with a lot of working. I am really looking forward to the new subjects that I have chosen myself, such as international English and physics, and I have high expectations about these subjects. I expect second grade to be a fun and instructive, and I expect to be graded in the different subjects.  

    Being young in Norway


    To be young here in Norway is fantastic! Or at least I think so. As a 16 year old student at Sandvika secondary school, I really enjoy my life. I go to a grate school, have many good friends and a very good family. There are a lot of spare time activities to choose from where I live, and in my spare time I play football for a team called Helset. Football is a big sport here in Norway, and there are a lot of expectations to you as a player on the football practices, both from the coaches and teammates. I really like being a teen in Norway, but if I should mention one bad thing, it would have to be the temperatures! It gets really cold in the winters, and personally I prefer warmer temperatures.